April 18 [Day 44] (George Halmazna) Unseasonably cold temperatures persisted with a starting temperature of -16C and a high of -1C at 1400 and 1500 which fell to -2C at the end of the day. Ground winds were initially calm, then SW and at 1100 to the end of the day NW averaging 5-10 gusting 20 km/h. Ridge winds were calm to light switching in mid-afternoon to light-moderate ENE-NNE. Cloud cover was cirrus to 0800, then 100% stratus and cumulus, occasionally broken, producing snow and flurries for the rest of the day. The ridges gradually became draped in cloud, with the western ridges 100% obscured by 1600 and the east 90% obscured by 1700. despite these unpromising conditions the day produced 34 migrant raptors of a season high 10 species with the first bird moving at 0911 and 15 occurring between 1400 and 1600. All the birds moved from the Fisher Range across the valley to Mount Lorette with the exception of the season's first Osprey at 0930 which was seen to the west. An adult male American Kestrel at 1555 was also a first record for the season. The rest of the flight comprised 3 Bald Eagles (1a, 1sa, 1j), 1 adult male Northern Harrier, a season high 7 (unaged) Sharp-shinned Hawks, 1 adult Northern Goshawk, 1 adult light morph calurus Red-tailed Hawk, a season high 8 Rough-legged Hawks, 10 Golden Eagles (3a, 7j) and 1 adult male columbarius Merlin. A single Mourning Dove at 0829 was the first for the season, and a Tree Swallow at 1422 was the second for the season and probably regretted being here. 14 hours (506.57) OSPR 1 (1), BAEA 3 (177), NOHA 1 (5), SSHA 7 (25), NOGO 1 (15), RTHA 1 (30), RLHA 8 (32), AMKE 1 (1), MERL 1 (4) TOTAL 34 (3250)

Beaver Mines (Peter Sherrington) The snow that had fallen (often heavily) for several days finally stopped and the afternoon was clear with 70% cumulus and cirrus cloud cover with a light N-NE flow aloft. I watched from my house for 2 hours between 1540 and 1740 and recorded 29 migrant raptors of 8 species moving high from the “Big Hill” towards the NW or W. The flight was 3 subadult Bald Eagles, 1 adult female Northern Harrier, 3 Sharp-shinned Hawks (1a, 1j, 1u), 1 adult Northern Goshawk, 2 adult Broad-winged Hawks (1 light, 1 dark, that soared very high at 1550 and disappeared into the clouds), 11 calurus Red-tailed Hawks: 10a (9 light and 1 dark) and 1u, 2 dark harlani Red-tailed Hawks (1a, 1j), 7 Golden Eagles (1a, 3sa, 3j) and 1 adult columbarius Merlin.